Of Thieves and Behind-the-Scenes
by clair-de-neptune
Summary: A collection of miscellaneous free-writes and one-shots about the characters in Of Thieves and Thrones. Spoilers may apply and ratings will vary. This includes different explorations of backgrounds of the characters, especially OCs, in OT&T, as well as other short writing exercise-like ficlets that didn't make it into the story. Enjoy. :)


**Spoiler warning...kind of. About Mal and Rorie's relationship...in a way. Rated M due to certain topics of discussion. What can I say? It's _Cat_ we're talking about here.**

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><p>"Aurora," Cat smiled, studying the nervous girl in her doorway with mildly piqued interest, "what on <em>earth<em> can I offer you at such a late hour?"

The girl drew a deep breath, gathering her courage. Cat's smirk only grew. "I…need to ask you—um…" Her blue gaze flicked downward shyly. "…something personal."

"Oh, honey," Cat purred as she leaned against the doorframe, "I _specialize_ in personal."

The opening and closing of Aurora's mouth was amusing. A velvety chuckle slid into the air. "Come in, I implore you." She moved away from the doorframe, allowing Aurora entrance. "Please, take a seat." With a laugh, she added, "You look like you're about to collapse, anyway."

Hastily, Aurora stepped inside and shakily found the nearest chair. She sat—a bit too hurriedly—and a few knickknack-things that had been previously resting contentedly on a side table tumbled unceremoniously onto the floor. Aurora cleared her throat in embarrassment. "S-sorry—"

"Darling, it's fine," Cat said as she waved it off, and brought over some tea she had prepared a few minutes before Aurora's impromptu visit. "Tea?"

Aurora nodded softly, and carefully took the steaming cup from Cat's grasp. She brought it to her lips—a sip—and her pretty little features screwed together at the taste. After a few seconds of recovery, she asked, "I don't mean to be rude, Cat, but what on earth did you put in this tea?"

"Oh," Cat hummed. "Sorry, Rosie. I always forget that I add a bit of whiskey to mine." Her long nails _rap-tap-tapped _on the sides of her cup, and she chuckled again. "I guess it'll help you loosen up, hmm? You seem very high-strung."

Glistening teeth worried a pink bottom lip. "I…" Aurora inhaled deeply. "I was wondering how…how do you…"

"How do I maintain such wonderful composure? How do I have no shame? How do I dress so well? How do I _never_ tire of a mediocre erotica novel?" The wide eyes and gawked expression on Aurora's face was positively priceless. This was too easy. "Come now and specify, dear. The possibilities are endless."

Living up to her nickname, Aurora blushed. She focused her attentions to her hands that rested in her lap and fidgeted in her chair. "I—I was going to ask—"

Cat waited patiently, but all she received was a very distraught Aurora. "I can't do it," the girl whispered, then laughed nervously. "I simply cannot ask it."

Cat leaned back in her chair then, crossing her legs casually as she looked at Aurora sweetly. "Aurora, you can ask me anything. I promise you that I shall not be bothered." She took another sip of her whiskey-tea. "There are very few things on this earth that can make me squirm." Pausing, she reconsidered. "Well, there _are_ certain things—"

"It's not _you _I'm worried about," Aurora said, gazing into her tea. "It's just that I don't have the courage to say it. To ask of it."

"Hmm." Cat _rap-tap-tapped _on her cup again. How to make little Rosie comfortable? "I have an idea."

Aurora eyed her suspiciously. Cat barked a harsh laugh. "Ha! Mal taught you well. Never trust one of my ideas. Don't worry, darling, this is all for your benefit."

The skeptical look on Aurora's face did not go away, but she slowly nodded. "Alright, tell me."

"You shall close your eyes," Cat explained. "Close your eyes and pretend it's just you in this room, wondering about whatever you wish to ask me. And then you shall say it, eyes still closed. Imagine I'm not even here. It's just you." She waited for Aurora to protest, but no words came from the girl. Cat continued. "Then you will open your eyes and I shall regale you with an answer."

"That sounds…reasonable." Aurora seemed surprised. Cat huffed. She thought of herself as perfectly reasonable.

"Alright then." Cat placed her tea on the side table. There was a moment of silence. "Well, go on, then."

Aurora closed her eyes and took another calming breath. Cat may have been impatient when it came to sexual matters, but when it came to listening to people, she found herself to be the opposite. Patience with people, especially people trying to open up to her, was something she valued.

"How do you…"

Cat's ears pricked at this, but she said nothing. She wasn't "supposed" to be in the room. She gave Aurora time.

Aurora's brow furrowed as she tried again. "How does _one_," she rephrased carefully (for good reason, too), "…please a woman?"

Aurora opened her eyes, looking like she was ready to be burned at the stake, and Cat couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.

The question was so foreign to Cat (self-acclaimed sex goddess) that she couldn't help but tease. "Well," she began jokingly, "women love flowers, and small-talk, and they are _most_ delighted when their husbands shut up—"

"—No, no…I _mean_—"

"I know exactly what you mean, little Rosie. I only jest. Lighten up a touch." She hummed and took another sip of her tea, then dragged a single finger lazily around the rim of her cup. "Well, there are many ways to go about it. It's easy if you're a man: get her worked and hot and bothered, then insert readied object _A_ into readied slot _B_…" She crudely demonstrated with her hands, and stopped once she had been sufficiently amused by the expression of raw astonishment on Aurora's face. "…but you're obviously not a man."

Aurora shook her head. "Is it…harder for two women?"

"Only if there's a man watching." When she noticed Aurora's blank stare, she laughed into her cup of tea. "Oh, you darling little innocent creature. It's not _harder, _but definitely _wetter._"

Another openly confused expression from Aurora. Cat exhaled audibly. "Never mind, I thought you'd get that one, at least," she muttered, and set her tea down again. Meshing her fingers together, she looked at Aurora gingerly. "Women aren't harder to please," she explained. "When I first tried, it all came very naturally." She giggled at the innuendo. "It's a lot of familiarity as well as exploring. I assume you know your own body?"

"I know where things _are_," she replied softly, "but I've never…"

Cat wasn't surprised by many things, but this took her for a spin. A girl, nearly _twenty_, had gone through puberty, teenage years, _and _emerged without masturbating, not _once? _For a moment, she admired Aurora's self-control.

And then she frowned inwardly. Perhaps Aurora was too ashamed to explore her own body. Perhaps an older figure in her life made her embarrassed of herself, of her own desires. "And I don't judge you for that, sweetie," Cat reassured her, "I suppose it will make your first time all the better."

Experimentally, Aurora took another try at the tea. "How…how so?"

Cat shrugged. "Well, if you've never experienced orgasm, then it will be…_enhanced, _I would assume."

Aurora blinked. "Alright."

"You don't know what an orgasm is, do you?"

Aurora turned away and blushed.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough, I suppose," Cat teased. "Let us get back to the basics. We can discuss orgasms in a bit.

"For the most part, pleasing someone else is what it's like in those over-the-top romance novels, but less cheesy. You kiss, you touch, etcetera, etcetera…" Her amber gaze slowly lifted to meet Aurora's, which looked back at her with terrified excitement, like they were treading into dangerous, uncharted territory. "When it comes to…genital differences, though, that's where the game changes a bit."

"But how will I know what to do, and when to do it?" the girl blurted. "How do I know that she's happy? That…" her voice lowered, as if saying it was a forbidden curse word, "…that she will feel _pleased_?"

"Don't worry yourself over the hows and whens and whys. That will be the death of you." Cat paused, thinking carefully. "Allow me to demonstrate."

The scrambling terror in Aurora's eyes only made Cat shake her head and chuckle softly. "Don't be scared now. I'm not going to be taking your virginity or your beloved first kiss."

Aurora relaxed a little at that. Cat chuckled again. "Alright, close your eyes."

Reluctantly, Aurora obliged.

Cat rose from her seat and stood behind Aurora. "Women, in general, enjoy the same spots being touched. Now, every woman is different, and some may have particularly sensitive spots—their rear, their feet, their arms, their fingers—but don't worry about that. You'll quickly discover them on _her_," Cat leaned down and pressed her lips against the shell of Aurora's ear, "when she says your name just _so._"

She breathed out the last few words, and felt Aurora tremble. "Stay with me, Aurora."

The girl nodded.

Her fingers found Aurora's golden hair and stroked it gently. "The main way to tell if a woman is _pleased, _sweet Rosie, is by her sounds and her body language. If she moans, or whimpers—" A nail traced around her earlobe and down Aurora's jawline. "—All good signs. And remember to breathe," she reminded gently. Aurora took another deep breath and exhaled through her nose. "Good girl," she praised.

Cat let her finger idly wander down the expanse of Aurora's neck and shoulder, tracing little circular patterns on her soft skin. "If she arches or leans into your touch…" She smiled victoriously when Aurora shifted to keep the contact after she'd stopped. "…it's a sign she wants more. It's not a complex formula." She rose and returned to her seat, a smug grin tugging at her lips. For a moment, Cat took in the adorable sight of Aurora's jaw slightly ajar, lips apart as she breathed in through her mouth. Her eyebrows creased at the discovery at this new-found pleasure; her fingers gripped tightly at the arms of the chair, eyes still pinched closed obediently.

"You can open your eyes now, you know."

"Sorry," Aurora murmured embarrassedly, her cheeks still thoroughly tinged pink.

"Never apologize for enjoying pleasure." She took a refreshing sip of whiskey-tea and sighed happily, leaning back and continuing, "Now as for actual _engagement_, women have two main options: tongue, and—" she held up her hand and waggled her fingers.

The absolute _bewilderment _on Aurora's face had another amused purr sliding out of Cat's throat.

"Now, these options aren't limited only to our sex—men can use their fingers and mouth, too—but I've found most prefer not to. Many find the notion of putting their mouths _there _unpleasant, which is quite odd because _we _put _our _mouths on _their_ 'there'." Aurora's mouth opened and closed again. Cat waved it off with a motion of her hand. "Another discussion for another day."

"Wait—" Aurora's cobalt eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Women put their _mouths _on a man's—?"

"Yes, darling, but you don't have to worry about that. You're going to please a woman, and they lack the extra team player."

Aurora only gulped and nodded. Cat casually continued. "And as for the fingers…well, to them they think: _why use my fingers when I can use my cock?_" She shrugged. "But that doesn't make them lesser beings. Men are just as good at sex as women are. It all depends on your preference.

"But I'm rambling on the philosophy of coitus, aren't I?" She smirked. "When it comes to the tongue, I find women are…more _appreciative _of both the giving and receiving. If you ever do engage in such, I promise your instincts will take over, and you'll know what you're doing." Her teeth glistened as she gave Aurora a wide smile. "And you'll get lost in the taste."

"Taste…?"

"Yes, Rosie, every woman has their own taste. Some women are extraordinarily sweet, others are tarter. I've been told I'm a mix of both," she declared. "And just with a touch of something like honey," she added as an afterthought.

Both of Aurora's eyebrows raised at that, and Cat took another sip of tea, as if they were talking about the weather.

"So…" Aurora worried her bottom lip. "I'm putting my _mouth_ down _there._"

"Yes. I do hope you didn't miss any of my advice in your shocking revelation."

"No—I just…what a curious thought."

Another velvety chuckle. "What a curious thought indeed."

"What of fingers?" Aurora suddenly blurted, then hastily placed a hand over her mouth. "I mean, I don't seem to sound eager—"

"Aurora," Cat said gently, "there is no shame in wanting to discover more, to _learn_ more about sex, or your own body, or of another's body. You can ask openly here. Understand?"

"Yes, thank you." Aurora gave her a small smile of gratitude. "So…of fingers?"

"Right! _Fingers. _Fingers are, in my opinion, a wonderful option versus a man. They are more intricate, and you can always change the thickness by adding or subtracting, and when they curl it creates a delightful sensation—Aurora?"

Aurora was preoccupied with staring with unbridled horror at Cat's nails. "They must be like…miniature _swords _or something," she whispered fearfully.

Cat barked out another laugh. "Darling, I haven't pleased a woman with my fingers in some time. I would surely clip them if I ever intended to in the near future."

Aurora exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank you for the…_guidance_, Cat." She rose from her seat. "But I must be going. It's rather late."

"It was late when you arrived," Cat pointed out, "but no matter. I'm sure you're anxious to experiment with your newly-acquired information." She winked, and Aurora squirmed. "And if you _ever _want to practice or hone your _skills_…" A sultry smirk spread across her face, "…just let me know."

"I—I'll—_ah_, I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Her flustering was too cute. "Oh, and little Rosie?"

Aurora turned in the doorframe.

"Don't get Mal flowers. It'll be an insult to her big tough ego. If you want to hit her soft side, try making something more original than a collection of freshly-picked plant carcasses."

This time, Aurora's cheeks burned a flaming red. "How—how did you? I never even said—"

"Aurora, little Rosie, I've mastered the art of sex and courting. I know a pair of lovebirds when I seem one, no matter how hard they try to keep themselves hidden." Her pronounced canines showed through her smile. "Don't fret. I won't let the cat out of the bag."


End file.
